Rent vs buy

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National market update

Realtors® See Buyers Returning to Market

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2009 Historically high housing affordability and low mortgage interest rates, combined with buyer opportunities in the distressed sales market, have increased home sales in many areas of the country. “There has never been a better time to buy,” said National Association of Realtors® Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. More...Read more

Credit is Key to Real Estate Recovery

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2009 Improving the availability of credit and access to capital are essential to recovery in the real estate market. Addressing these challenges was the focus of the "Financing Real Estate for Tomorrow" session, part of the National Association of Realtors®' daylong "Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy.” More...
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Existing-Home Sales Rise in April

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2009 Existing-home sales rose in April with strong buyer activity in lower price ranges, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – increased 2.9 percent. More...Read more

Pending Home Sales Up for Three Months in a Row

WASHINGTON, June 02, 2009 Record low mortgage interest rates boosted pending home sales for the third consecutive month, with some benefit now from the first-time buyer tax credit. More...

Existing home sales ()

Existing home median price ()

Housing Starts ()

New home sales ()

National economic indicators

Home ownership

1st Qtr 09

67.3%

1st Qtr 08

67.8%

The homeownership rate (67.3 percent) for the current quarter was lower than the rate in first quarter 2008 (67.8 percent), but not statistically different from the rate in fourth quarter 2008 (67.5 percent).

New home sales

Apr 09

+0.3%

Mar 09

-3.0%

Sales of new one-family houses in April 2009 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 352,000. This is 0.3% below the revised March 2009 estimate of 351,000.

Source: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

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Regional market updates

View market statistics for your region.

Click on the links below to view data from two different industry sources. Choose information on local prices & state sales from any of 178 metropolitan housing markets prepared by the National Association of REALTORS® or information on sales & price activity from local area markets in 25 states prepared by Clarus MarketMetrics.

Local Sales & Price Activity

Peggy Sonsel

Home Ownership matters…to people, to communities, and to America. Why? • For every two homes sold, one job is created in the U.S. • Each purchase generates as much as $60,000 in economic activity over time. Read more

Buying is now cheaper than renting in 74 percent of the nation’s largest cities. Low home prices and “rock-bottom” interest rates as well as tax advantages of homeownership are the reasons why it’s now cheaper to BUY a 2-bdrm home than to rent one. Check out this CNN Money article with the details. Read more

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, statements and/or ideas expressed in this Message Section do not reflect the ideas, policy, position, views or opinion of Move,Inc.

Consumer tips & hot properties

The American Dream

Emotion plays a major role in why we buy most everything. We justify our emotionality with logic. It is really why we buy a home. "It was a smart move". "It was the right thing to do". "The schools are the best in the city". The housing market is based on these biases and emotionalities. It is all part of the American dream. More...

Guard Your Mail

Your mail can be an easy source of sensitive information about you and your financial world to identity thieves. There are three Ps of postal protection to make sure they can’t get at it! More...Read more

The Art of Negotiation

All aspects of a real estate transaction involve negotiation. Depending on your tolerance for the give and take of making a deal, this part of selling or buying property will excite or terrify you. Sure, you could grab top dollar for your home—or you could be talked into a boatload of reasonablesounding concessions. More...
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Take Care of Your Home

There are two times when you should pay particular attention to home maintenance before you buy the home and when you’re selling it. Oh, and all the time in between as well. Yes, taking good care of your home is essential if you want to preserve the highest possible value of your property and to ensure that you get the most utility and comfort from your residence. More...Read more

Showing You the Money

Unless your bank account can cover a check for hundreds of thousands of dollars, you’ll need to borrow money to purchase a house. That’s where your mortgage loan enters the transaction. However, you should start the process of securing financing before you make an offer on a home so when the time comes, you’ll be ready, willing and able to purchase the property. More...Read more

Why They Love Their Hometown

American love their hometowns. Find out why and what's important to them. More...Read more

Housing Trends eNewsletter is filled with U.S. Census Bureau key market indicators, consumer videos, blogs, a real estate glossary, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, real estate radio, realtor.com® local community reports and local and national real estate sales and price activity provided by local MLSs and the National Association of REALTORS®.

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